EV Torque – Cadillac hums into a new future

Battery electric propulsion has allowed the automobile to evolve in the past few years. It has presented the opportunity to repackage a vehicle to improve interior space while motor power brings new levels of performance and dynamics.

The EV also offers the chance for a clean slate approach for an established car maker.

So it is with Cadillac, the long-lived luxury marque heading here soon with its all-electric Lyriq. According to GM’s head of design, Mike Simcoe, the rise of EVs has been the best thing to happen to Cadillac in decades.

“EV was a chance to have another go at Cadillac,” Simcoe told a media Zoom call recently.

“In my living memory, we’ve probably tried about five times to resurrect what was once a pretty storied brand. But in many ways, we didn’t give it the respect it deserved.”

Simcoe says that using the flat ‘skateboard’ EV platform helped bring a fresh approach to the design process. In 2022, Cadillac used the EV architecture to build a new flagship for Cadillac in the Celestiq.

This is a largely bespoke machine, owners able to provide input into its finishing, and it’s suitably expensive too, circa $NZ580,000.

Of the high-end model, Simcoe says it “talks to the heritage of Cadillac but interprets it in a new way”.

The electric range topper also set the design language direction for the brand as it heads towards a more EV-focused future.

“It was an opportunity to take a lot of pent-up Cadillac expression, and throw it at a range of vehicles. That started with the Celestiq, the Lyriq, the Optiq, and a number of other vehicles that will be in the portfolio as we go forward. EVs allowed us to rethink how we present ourselves, what the brand represents.”

The stylists had been attempting to give Cadillac some brand value through design for some time and it just hadn’t worked, mused Simcoe.

“This time round with the help of EV and the tech change, its relaunch has actually worked here [in the US] and we think it will work in Europe and Australia (and NZ) as well.”

Simcoe isn’t too concerned about the perceived slowdown in EV sales either, saying there is no stopping the momentum behind battery-powered vehicles.

“It’s simple. We cannot keep burning fuel…The simple truth is EV adoption is still happening, it’s slowed down a little, but it’s still happening apace. Things are still moving, despite the noise.”

And this seems to be backed up by recent news from the USA. Sales data collected by Automotive News in the U.S suggest EV registrations rose 14 per cent in April, coming off what it called ‘a lackluster first quarter’.

However, Tesla’s poor performance is sullying the overall rise in market share. Tesla’s numbers continued to fall sharply and its share of the EV segment dropped below 50 percent.

New Tesla registrations fell 17 percent in April, marking three consecutive months in the red. Tesla’s share of the U.S. EV segment dropped to 46.3 percent in April from 63.8 percent a year earlier, according to S&P Global Mobility.

If you remove the Tesla numbers, U.S. EV registrations rose 69 percent for the month, Ford, Kia and Toyota all doing well.

However, the report did note that sales were spurred on by big incentives, and discounts from the manufacturers to help move models.

This is largely what is playing out here too with large discounts on RRPs advertised. And as we have said previously, now is a great time to buy an EV at reduced pricing. Our pick this month?

The Cupra Born, now down to $59,990, which is great buying for its mix of style, dynamism, practicality and range.

This story first appeared in the July 2024 issue of NZ Autocar magazine.